Europe, Eastern, and the Soviet Union
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Europe, Eastern, and the Soviet Union

Abdu'l-Bahá

Shoghi Effendi

Universal House of Justice, Research Department

, compiler

published in

Bahá'í Studies Review

3.1

London: Association for Bahá'í Studies of English-Speaking Europe, 1993

Contents:

(Introduction to Special Supplement on Eastern Europe and The Soviet Union)

Compilation

1. Eastern and Central Europe

From Letters Written by Shoghi Effendi

From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi

2. The Balkans

From a Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá

From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi

3. Russia and the Soviet Union

From Letters Written by Shoghi Effendi

From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi

4. Germany's Role in Eastern Europe

From Letters Written by Shoghi Effendi

Endnotes

Special Supplement on

Eastern Europe and The Soviet Union

As in previous issues,
The Bahá'í Studies Review
is
pleased to offer its readership a unique and previously unpublished compilation
of extracts mainly from the letters of the Guardian. Its significance lies
in the stirring and inspiring vision it portrays of the importance of the
spiritual destiny of Eastern Europe and the ex-Soviet Union, and the many
examples of the Guardian's penetrating insights into world events and the
ethos of the times in which he was writing. These are not only of continuing
historical interest, but are relevant and applicable to contemporary phenomena.
The compilation contains guidance concerning the importance of introducing
the Bahá'í Faith into Eastern Europe and the former Soviet
Union, and provides insight into the means by which this process was started
and nurtured through the efforts of pioneers and travelling teachers.

Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union:

A Compilation From the Bahá'í Writings

Compiled by the

Research Department of the Universal House of Justice

1. Eastern and Central Europe

From Letters Written by Shoghi Effendi

An attempt must also be made to introduce the Faith, however tentatively,
into each of the three neighbouring Baltic States, destined, in the course
of time, to play a memorable part in the establishment of the Faith in
North-East Europe. . .

(In the handwriting of Shoghi Effendi,
appended to a letter dated 4 July 1957 to the National Spiritual Assembly
of Scandinavia and Finland) [1]

The continued and most lamentable division of the German nation, setting
up an almost insurmountable barrier between the vast majority of the German
followers of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh and their isolated
brethren in the eastern territories of their country; the increasing and
widespread hostility evinced by powerful adversaries belonging to the most
influential Christian Church in that land -- a hostility which is not only
being intensified but is, slowly and imperceptibly, influencing officials
in various departments of the state, as well as sections of the Press,
and, to no small extent, the public itself; the prolonged existence of
ideological and political barriers impeding contact between the believers
residing in the Western Zone of Germany and the inhabitants of the territories
lying beyond the Iron Curtain and particularly the Baltic States, Moldavia,
White Russia, Albania and Rumania, assigned to them according to the provisions
of the Ten Year Plan; the intense conservatism and religious orthodoxy
of the people inhabiting the Frisian Islands, Crete and Greece, constituting
yet another barrier, and raising yet another obstacle in the path of the
pioneers who have consecrated themselves to the task of implanting the
banner of the Faith in those islands and in that historic land, in pursuance
of the objectives of the world Spiritual Crusade; the limitations placed
upon them by their restricted numbers and modest resources; the temptations
and distractions to which a swift return to material prosperity continually
and increasingly exposes them -- these, no doubt, militate against the
speedy and effectual accomplishment of their manifold and sacred tasks.

(In the handwriting of Shoghi Effendi,
appended to a letter dated 14 August 1957 written on his behalf to the
National Spiritual Assembly of Germany and Austria) [2]

From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi

He always looks with great expectation to the news of the progress
of the Cause in Germany. That country together with the other states of
central Europe has come out of the war, and the later developments of the
political conditions, almost ruined. They all feel the need for some new
spirit which will pull the world out of the morass it is in. If the teachings
of the Cause be properly set forth, if its solution of the social problems
be clearly expounded, the people will undoubtedly grasp its significance
and further its progress.

(1 April 1926 to the Bahá'ís
of Esslingen, published in "The Light of Divine Guidance: The Messages
from the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith to the Bahá'ís
of Germany and Austria" (Hofheim-Langenhain: Bahá'í-Verlag,
1982), p.
30
) [3]

As Europe, especially the Eastern section, has suffered a great deal
from the last war the people are quite ready and anxious to hear about
peace.

(24 April 1926 to an individual believer)
[4]

It is such a joy to him that the friends in Vienna are holding the unity
feasts and that will surely help to keep the friends together and encourage
them to greater action. Through your efforts as pioneer workers, Vienna
must become a great Bahá'í centre in Central Europe. This
is what Shoghi Effendi awaits and eagerly hopes.

(6 April 1928 to an individual believer)
[5]

He is always very glad to hear of the good news of the progress of the
Cause, especially in Vienna. That is a very important centre from which
the Cause could spread to Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Those regions,
being occupied by people of diverse nationality and religious belief, are
always a hotbed of dissension and strife. They need the teachings of the
Cause to pacify them and create among them the spirit of love and comradeship.
. .

(12 October 1928 to an individual
believer) [6]

I am sure you would be glad to know that Shoghi Effendi hears frequently
from your wife, who is engaged in pioneer work in central Europe -- a work
that is difficult and needs much patience. . . .

(22 December 1928 to an individual
believer) [7]

Shoghi Effendi was very glad to hear of your trip to Budapest and your
lecture together with Prof. R. Vambery on the Bahá'í outlook
on peace. He sincerely hopes that before long we will have a group of believers
there with a properly constituted Spiritual Assembly. Miss Martha Root
hopes to visit there while travelling through Europe. We hope that her
activities will enhance that work. Central Europe is in great need of the
teachings for it has fully felt the consequences of war and international
hatred. The people are seeking a spiritual light that will lead them to
salvation.

(21 January 1932 to an individual
believer) [8]

Central and Eastern Europe are much more receptive than any of the western
countries. They have felt the evils of war and therefore are more receptive
to spiritual matters.

(29 January 1932 to an individual
believer) [9]

Europe, especially Central and Eastern Europe, is a wonderful field
for work. The great difficulties they have passed through these last years
have made the people there peace-seeking and more ready to listen to a
spiritual message proclaiming universal brotherhood. They are far more
ready than the Latin countries that still possess the arrogance of victory
in the last war.

Shoghi Effendi sincerely hopes that through the activities of you and
the other teachers now in Europe the Cause will make a great move and many
centres will be established in Central Europe. It is very important to
have regular study classes to follow public lectures, so that those who
become interested may not go astray. Mrs. [Louise] Gregory can be of great
service along this line of grounding the few who are deeply attracted,
in the teachings of the Cause.

(24 May 1932, to an individual believer)
[10]

The Guardian firmly believes that it is preferable for you to stay in
a centre and gradually establish an Assembly rather than cover much ground
and leave no appreciable result once you are gone. What the Cause in Central
Europe needs are well established centres that could take care of themselves
and they in turn become focal points for radiating the light of guidance
to the surrounding regions. And this can be achieved only by personal contact
and meeting small groups as you are doing at present. With a little experience
you will find for yourself how true and efficacious this method is.

(9 October 1932 to an individual believer)
[11]

Martha [Root] is now in the Balkans and Central Europe attempting to
start some permanent groups. Shoghi Effendi has arranged that Dr. Esslemont's
book be translated into Greek, Rumanian and various other languages spoken
in the Balkans as a preparation for intensive teaching work. When this
work will be completed then Martha will be able to do her best, for with
the present lack of proper literature she is greatly handicapped.

(18 January 1933 to an individual
believer) [12]

In Eastern Europe the Cause is making wonderful headway. We earnestly
hope Northern Europe will do the same. They are very enlightened and should
appreciate the importance of peace and a spiritual regeneration of man.

(11 March 1933 to an individual believer)
[13]

In one of your letters you mention Martha [Root]. She is surely doing
wonderful work in Central Europe. She has not only interested many competent
souls, but also has managed to have Dr. Esslemont's book translated and
published in several languages. And this will render her work much more
fruitful and lasting in effect.

(10 April 1933 to an individual believer)
[14]

Dr. and Mrs. . . . are now here and give a glowing report of what is
being accomplished in Bulgaria and the other countries of Eastern Europe.
Shoghi Effendi hopes that these seeds, which these few American ladies
are sowing so lovingly, will receive showers of divine blessings and gradually
start to germinate. Those countries, more than anywhere else in Europe,
should feel the disastrous and ravaging effects of war and conscientiously
strive to achieve peace by an orientation of their human interests to what
is spiritual and uplifting. . .

(30 April 1933 to an individual believer)
[15]

He is indeed pleased to learn of the steps you have taken to extend
your stay in Europe, and sincerely hopes that you will be thereby enabled
to lend all the support and assistance you can to the extension of the
teaching work in Austria, Germany and Central Europe. You are working in
a field which is certainly most promising, and in which ardent and competent
workers are most urgently needed. In Austria, in particular, the Guardian
feels the possibilities of teaching are as numerous as they are effective.
He would urge you, therefore, to concentrate at present all your efforts
on that country, and also to closely collaborate with the friends in Vienna,
so that through your united and harmonious co-operation the Cause may rapidly
spread and become firmly established there. . .

(19 September 1936 to an individual
believer) [16]

He considers the work of the Cause in Germany of primary importance;
the German believers not only have the fertile field of their own people's
minds to cultivate, but must, eventually, do a large part of the teaching
work to be carried out in the future in Central and Eastern Europe. So
he is very anxious to have your affairs running on a smooth administrative
basis, and to also have you receive the necessary literature or means of
printing it.

(30 July 1946 to an individual believer,
published in "The Light of Divine Guidance: The Messages from the Guardian
of the Bahá'í Faith to the Bahá'ís of Germany
and Austria" (Hofheim-Langenhain: Bahá'í 1982), vol.2, p.

53
) [17]

2. The Balkans

From a Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá

The ills from which the world now suffers will multiply; the gloom
which envelops it will deepen. The Balkans will remain discontented. Its
restlessness will increase. The vanquished Powers will continue to agitate.
They will resort to every measure that may rekindle the flame of war. Movements,
newly-born and world-wide in their range, will exert their utmost effort
for the advancement of their designs. The Movement of the Left will acquire
great importance. Its influence will spread.

(Cited in a letter dated 28 November
1931 written by Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá'ís of the West,
published in "The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: Selected Letters",
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1982), p.
30
) [18]

From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi

In his moments of prayer Shoghi Effendi will think of you and the other
new believers of Bulgaria. He sincerely hopes that each of you will become
a flaming light and become a centre of radiation throughout that region.
The Balkans have for over a century been a hot-bed of political conflicts
and war; may they through your spirit and the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh
become the fountain-head of peace and goodwill for all that continent.
National hatreds and political and economic strife have almost ruined the
civilized world; may you help to turn the steps of the people back to love
of God and human brotherhood.

(9 November 1931 to an individual
believer) [19]

He feels deeply thankful and gratified for the wonderful work you and
Miss Jack have been doing in Bulgaria. He sincerely hopes that as a result
of your work a centre will be created there which in turn will spread the
Message through the Balkans. Those countries are in great need of the Divine
Message because they have been divided into warring factions that have
endangered the life of Europe. Through constant war those countries have
come to the verge of ruin. They need the Message of Bahá'u'lláh
to bring peace and change the prevailing hatred between the factions into
a mutual understanding based upon the love of God and human brotherhood.

(11 November 1931 to an individual
believer) [20]

Shortly after His departure from Adrianople where
He was exiled for five years, Bahá'u'lláh wrote a Tablet
in which He states that under every stone He has laid a seed which will
soon germinate.

(1)

This promise refers to
the regions around Adrianople which naturally include Bulgaria. His actual
words are very promising and who knows but now is the beginning of the
day when those promises are to be fulfilled.

The Balkan people have for long been suffering from war and social and
political strife. It is high time that peace may reign, that differences
may be set aside, that strife may cease. . .

(11 November 1931 to the Bahá'ís
of Sofia) [21]

The Balkans, Shoghi Effendi believes, are a very fertile field, their
people very ready. They have so long and severely suffered from wars, and
their aftermath, that they undoubtedly long to enjoy a reign of permanent
peace. But the work is nevertheless not so very easy, and not free from
its own stumbling blocks. There is undoubtedly much prejudice to overcome,
and much religious antagonism to be faced. But these are the thorns that
any new field will have. We should not mind them. We should concentrate
upon the promise given by Bahá'u'lláh that the hosts of the
Kingdom are ever ready to pour down and assist anyone who would rise with
a determined mind and a free heart.

(17 November 1931 to two believers)
[22]

As the Faith is beginning to expand over the Bulgarian
country, it is necessary to bring the people into contact with the Bahá'í
literature; indeed this book

(2)

will give
them [the opportunity] to obtain extensive knowledge of the teachings and
history of the Faith, and will prepare their minds and hearts to accept
the claim of Bahá'u'lláh.

(31 October 1932 to an individual
believer) [23]

Miss Jack and Miss Root will surely highly value your assistance and
co-operation and will be only too glad to have you with them. You all three
are the shining stars in the dark and gloomy sky of the Balkans. For through
the Message you have you are able to heal all those who have been for so
long, and under so many different circumstances, victims of the crudest
and most deep-seated prejudices.

(17 September 1933 to an individual
believer) [24]

The German friends have been greatly suffering as a result [of national
fanaticism], during the last two years, and their activities have been
largely hampered. The countries where the people are relatively more sympathetic
to the Teachings are Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Romania. You should do your
best, and in case you find it feasible, to extend your stay in the Balkans
and try to establish some new centres there. . .

(5 October 1933 to an individual believer)
[25]

But every effort should be made to get someone off to Greece, a very
important country and far too long neglected. . .

(21 June 1953 to the National Spiritual
Assembly of Germany and Austria) [26]

Her tomb

(3)

will become
a national shrine, immensely loved and revered, as the Faith rises in stature
in that country.

(24 May 1954 to the European Teaching
Committee of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States) [27]

. . . [Marion Jack] remained at her post, and won for herself imperishable
fame, her resting-place becoming a shrine in Bulgaria, which the people
of that country will increasingly honour and cherish.

(25 June 1954 to the National Spiritual
Assembly of Germany and Austria) [28]

The Guardian wishes to assure you and your dear wife of his prayers
on your behalf. He hopes every obstacle will be removed from your path,
so that you can carry on the teaching work actively and diligently. Greece
is a most important country, and should have a virile Assembly, particularly
in Athens.

(10 November 1955 to an individual
believer) [29]

Your loving letter of August 17th, with the photograph of the first
Bahá'í Group in Athens, and showing the first Greek Bahá'í
in Greece, was received, and presented to the beloved Guardian.

He was very happy to see the likeness of the Friends serving so diligently
in Greece. He hopes your teaching efforts will be confirmed, and many seeking
souls find eternal life through your sacrificial efforts. Greece is a most
important country, as he has explained to you, and the Faith should be
firmly implanted in that country, in many cities. The first step, of course,
is a Spiritual Assembly in Athens.

(1 September 1956 to an individual
believer) [30]

3. Russia and the Soviet Union

From Letters Written by Shoghi Effendi

There is no doubt that the day will come when the very people who are
now engaged in destroying the foundations of faith in God and promoting
this baseless doctrine of materialism will arise and, by their own hand,
snuff out the flame of this commotion. They will sweep away the entire
structure of their unrestrained godlessness and will arise with heart and
soul, and with hitherto unmatched vigour, to atone for their past failures.
They will join the ranks of the followers of Bahá'u'lláh
and arise to promote His Cause. . . If the friends remain steadfast, and
discharge their duties with loyalty and prudence, the veils of God's inscrutable
wisdom will be lifted and extraordinary events will be witnessed. The hosts
of divine confirmation, fortified by the power of the Spirit, will, in
unimaginable ways and from unexpected quarters, provide the means for the
triumph of the Cause of our Self-Subsisting Lord, and in so doing will
brighten the eyes of the faithful throughout the world.

(11 January 1923 to the Bahá'ís
of Kirmán
sh
áh - translated from the Persian) [31]

To this uplifting movement, various external factors are being added
that are tending to hasten and stimulate this process of internal regeneration
so significant in the life of renascent Persia. The multiplicity and increasing
facilities in the means of transportation and travel; the State visit of
energetic and enlightened reformers to Persia's capital; the forthcoming
and widely-advertised journey of the
Sh
áh himself to the
progressive capitals of Western Europe; the repercussion of Turkey's astounding
reforms among an essentially sensitive and receptive people; the loud and
persistent clamour of a revolting order in Russia against the evil domination
and dark plottings of all forms of religious sectarianism; the relentless
vigour with which Af
gh
ánistán's ambitious Ruler, reinforced
by the example of his gracious Consort, is pursuing his campaign of repression
against a similar order of a corrupted clergy at home -- all tend to lend
their force in fostering and fashioning that public opinion which can alone
provide an enduring basis for the reform Movement destined to usher in
that golden Era craved for by the followers of the Faith in Bahá'u'lláh's
native land.

(6 December 1928 to the Bahá'ís
of the West, published in "Unfolding Destiny: The Messages from the Guardian
of the Bahá'í Faith to the Bahá'í Community
of the British Isles" (London: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1981),
p.
77
) [32]

Russia will in the future become a delectable paradise, and the teaching
work in that land will be carried out on an unprecedented scale. The House
of Worship established in its very heart will shine forth with dazzling
splendour, and the call of the Most Great Name will reverberate in its
temples, its churches, and its places of worship. We need to show forth
patience and forbearance. In these momentous convulsions there lie concealed
mighty and consummate mysteries, which will be revealed to men's eyes in
the days to come.

(2 January 1930 to an individual believer
- translated from the Persian) [33]

The catastrophic fall of mighty monarchies and empires in the European
continent, allusions to some of which may be found in the prophecies of
Bahá'u'lláh; the decline that has set in, and is still continuing,
in the fortunes of the
Sh
í'ih hierarchy in His own native
land; the fall of the Qájár dynasty, the traditional enemy
of His Faith; the overthrow of the Sultanate and the Caliphate, the sustaining
pillars of Sunní Islám, to which the destruction of Jerusalem
in the latter part of the first century of the Christian era offers a striking
parallel; the wave of secularization which is invading the Muhammadan ecclesiastical
institutions in Egypt and sapping the loyalty of its staunchest supporters;
the humiliating blows that have afflicted some of the most powerful Churches
of Christendom in Russia, in Western Europe and Central America; the dissemination
of those subversive doctrines that are undermining the foundations and
overthrowing the structure of seemingly impregnable strongholds in the
political and social spheres of human activity; the signs of an impending
catastrophe, strangely reminiscent of the Fall of the Roman Empire in the
West, which threatens to engulf the whole structure of present-day civilization
-- all witness to the tumult which the birth of this mighty Organ of the
Religion of Bahá'u'lláh has cast into the world -- a tumult
which will grow in scope and in intensity as the implications of this constantly
evolving Scheme are more fully understood and its ramifications more widely
extended over the surface of the globe.

(8 February 1934 to the Bahá'ís
of the West, published in "The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh:
Selected Letters", pp.
155
-
56
) [34]

Already a few among the protagonists of the Christian Religion admit
the gravity of the situation that confronts them. "A wave of materialism
is sweeping round the world"; is the testimony of its missionaries, as
witnessed by the text of their official reports, "the drive and pressure
of modern industrialism, which are penetrating even the forests of Central
Africa and the plains of Central Asia, make men everywhere dependent on,
and preoccupied with, material things. At home the Church has talked, perhaps
too glibly, in pulpit or on platform of the menace of secularism; though
even in England we can catch more than a glimpse of its meaning. But to
the Church overseas these things are grim realities, enemies with which
it is at grips. . . The Church has a new danger to face in land after land
-- determined and hostile attack. From Soviet Russia a definitely anti-religious
Communism is pushing west into Europe and America, East into Persia, India,
China and Japan. It is an economic theory, definitely harnessed to disbelief
in God. It is a religious irreligion. . . It has a passionate sense of
mission, and is carrying on its anti-God campaign at the Church's base
at home, as well as launching its offensive against its front-line in non-Christian
lands. Such a conscious, avowed, organized attack against religion in general
and Christianity in particular is something new in history. Equally deliberate
in some lands in its determined hostility to Christianity is another form
of social and political faith -- nationalism. But the nationalist attack
on Christianity, unlike Communism, is often bound up with some form of
national religion -- with Islám in Persia and Egypt, with Buddhism
in Ceylon, while the struggle for communal rights in India is allied with
a revival both of Hinduism and Islám."

I need not attempt in this connection an exposition of the origin and
character of those economic theories and political philosophies of the
post-war period, that have directly and indirectly exerted, and are still
exerting, their pernicious influence on the institutions and beliefs connected
with one of the most widely-spread and best organized religious systems
of the world. It is with their influence rather than with their origin
that I am chiefly concerned. The excessive growth of industrialism and
its attendant evils -- as the aforementioned quotation bears witness --
the aggressive policies initiated and the persistent efforts exerted by
the inspirers and organizers of the Communist movement; the intensification
of a militant nationalism, associated in certain countries with a systematized
work of defamation against all forms of ecclesiastical influence, have
no doubt contributed to the de-Christianization of the masses, and been
responsible for a notable decline in the authority, the prestige and power
of the Church. "The whole conception of God," the persecutors of the Christian
Religion have insistently proclaimed, "is a conception derived from the
ancient oriental despotisms. It is a conception quite unworthy of free
men." "Religion," one of their leaders has asserted, "is an opiate of the
people." "Religion," declares the text of their official publications,
"is a brutalization of the people. Education must be so directed as to
efface from the people's minds this humiliation and this idiocy."

The Hegelian philosophy which, in other countries, has, in the form
of an intolerant and militant nationalism, insisted on deifying the state,
has inculcated the war-spirit, and incited to racial animosity, has, likewise,
led to a marked weakening of the Church and to a grave diminution of its
spiritual influence. Unlike the bold offensive which an avowedly atheistic
movement had chosen to launch against it, both within the Soviet union
and beyond its confines, this nationalistic philosophy, which Christian
rulers and governments have upheld, is an attack directed against the Church
by those who were previously its professed adherents, a betrayal of its
cause by its own kith and kin. It was being stabbed by an alien and militant
atheism from without, and by the preachers of a heretical doctrine from
within. Both of these forces, each operating in its own sphere and using
its own weapons and methods, have moreover been greatly assisted and encouraged
by the prevailing spirit of modernism, with its emphasis on a purely materialistic
philosophy, which, as it diffuses itself, tends increasingly to divorce
religion from man's daily life.

The combined effect of these strange and corrupt doctrines, these dangerous
and treacherous philosophies, has, as was natural, been severely felt by
those whose tenets inculcated an opposite and wholly irreconcilable spirit
and principle. The consequences of the clash that inevitably ensued between
these contending interests, were, in some cases, disastrous, and the damage
that has been wrought irreparable. The disestablishment and dismemberment
of the Greek Orthodox Church in Russia, following upon the blow which the
Church of Rome had sustained as a result of the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian
Monarchy; the commotion that subsequently seized the Catholic Church and
culminated in its separation from the State in Spain; the persecution of
the same Church in Mexico; the perquisitions, arrests, intimidation and
terrorization to which Catholics and Lutherans alike are being subjected
in the heart of Europe; the turmoil into which another branch of the Church
has been thrown as a result of the military campaign in Africa; the decline
that has set in the fortunes of Christian Missions, both Anglican and Presbyterian,
in Persia, Turkey, and the Far East; the ominous signs that foreshadow
serious complications in the equivocal and precarious relationships now
existing between the Holy See and certain nations in the continent of Europe
-- these stand out as the most striking features of the reverses which,
in almost every part of the world, the members and leaders of Christian
ecclesiastical institutions have suffered.

(11 March 1936 to the Bahá'ís
of the West, published in "The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh:
Selected Letters", pp.
181
-
83
) [35]

We have only to look around us, as we survey the fortunes of Christian
ecclesiastical orders, to appreciate the steady deterioration of their
influence, the decline of their power, the damage to their prestige, the
flouting of their authority, the dwindling of their congregations, the
relaxation of their discipline, the restriction of their press, the timidity
of their leaders, the confusion in their ranks, the progressive confiscation
of their properties, the surrender of some of their most powerful strongholds,
and the extinction of other ancient and cherished institutions. Indeed,
ever since the Divine summons was issued, and the invitation extended,
and the warning sounded, and the condemnation pronounced, this process,
that may be said to have been initiated with the collapse of the temporal
sovereignty of the Roman Pontiff, soon after the Tablet to the Pope had
been revealed, has been operating with increasing momentum, menacing the
very basis on which the entire order is resting. Aided by the forces which
the Communist movement has unloosed, reinforced by the political consequences
of the last war, accelerated by the excessive, the blind, the intolerant,
and militant nationalism which is now convulsing the nations, and stimulated
by the rising tide of materialism, irreligion, and paganism, this process
is not only tending to subvert ecclesiastical institutions, but appears
to be leading to the rapid dechristianization of the masses in many Christian
countries.

I shall content myself with the enumeration of certain outstanding manifestations
of this force which is increasingly invading the domain, and assailing
the firmest ramparts, of one of the leading religious systems of mankind.
The virtual extinction of the temporal power of the most preeminent ruler
in Christendom immediately after the creation of the Kingdom of Italy;
the wave of anticlericalism that swept over France after the collapse of
the Napoleonic empire, and which culminated in the complete separation
of the Catholic Church from the state, in the laicization of the Third
Republic, in the secularization of education, and in the suppression and
dispersal of religious orders; the swift and sudden rise of that "religious
irreligion," that bold, conscious, and organized assault launched in Soviet
Russia against the Greek Orthodox Church, that precipitated the disestablishment
of the state religion, that massacred a vast number of its members originally
numbering above a hundred million souls, that pulled down, closed, or converted
into museums, theatres and warehouses, thousands upon thousands of churches,
monasteries, synagogues and mosques, that stripped the church of its six
and a half million acres of property, and sought, through its League of
Militant Atheists and the promulgation of a "five-year plan of godlessness,"
to loosen from its foundations the religious life of the masses; the dismemberment
of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy that dissolved, by one stroke, the most
powerful unit which owed its allegiance to, and supported through its resources
the administration of, the Church of Rome; the divorce of the Spanish state
from that same Church, and the overthrow of the monarchy, the champion
of Catholic Christendom; the nationalistic philosophy, the parent of an
unbridled and obsolete nationalism, which, having dethroned Islám,
has indirectly assaulted the front line of the Christian church in non-Christian
lands, and is dealing such heavy blows to Catholic, Anglican, and Presbyterian
Missions in Persia, Turkey, and the Far East; the revolutionary movement
that brought in its wake the persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico;
and finally the gospel of modern paganism, unconcealed, aggressive, and
unrelenting, which, in the years preceding the present turmoil, and increasingly
since its outbreak, has swept over the continent of Europe, invading the
citadels, and sowing confusion in the hearts of the supporters, of the
Catholic, the Greek Orthodox, and the Lutheran churches, in Austria, Poland,
the Baltic and Scandinavian states, and more recently in Western Europe,
the home and center of the most powerful hierarchies of Christendom.

(28 March 1941 to the Bahá'ís
of the West, published as "The Promised Day Is Come" (Wilmette: Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, 1980), pp.
103
-
5
) [36]

In one of the most remarkable Tablets revealed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá,
passages of which have already been quoted on previous occasions, written
in the evening of His life, soon after the termination of the first World
War, He anticipates, in succinct and ominous sentences, the successive
ebullitions which must afflict humanity, and whose full force the American
nation must, if her destiny is to be accomplished, inevitably experience.
"The ills from which the world now suffers," He wrote, "will multiply;
the gloom which envelops it will deepen. The Balkans will remain discontented.
Its restlessness will increase. The vanquished powers will continue to
agitate. They will resort to every measure that may rekindle the flame
of war. Movements, newly born and world-wide in their range, will exert
their utmost effort for the advancement of their designs. The Movement
of the Left will acquire great importance. Its influence will spread."

The agitation in the Balkan Peninsula; the feverish activity in which
Germany and Italy played a disastrous role, culminating in the outbreak
of the Second World War; the rise of the Fascist and Nazi movements, which
spread their ramifications to distant parts of the globe; the spread of
communism which, as a result of the victory of Soviet Russia in that same
war, has been greatly accelerated -- all these happenings, some unequivocally,
others in veiled language, have been forecast in this Tablet, the full
force of whose implications are as yet undisclosed, and which, we may well
anticipate, the American nation, as yet insufficiently schooled by adversity,
must sooner or later experience.

(5 June 1947 to the Bahá'ís
of the West, published in "Citadel of Faith: Messages to America 1947-1957"
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1980), pp.
20
-
27
,
37
)
[37]

From Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi

He does not endorse, however, the circulation of the statement on communism,
and considers that if such a document fell into the hands of the wrong
people it could cause a great deal of harm, especially in those countries
where the believers are living under Soviet rule or in states strongly
influenced by communism. The issues touched upon are too vital and too
interwoven with present-day politics for us to make any written comment
upon them. However he feels that orally pioneers could be apprised of these
things and warned to be extremely discreet in communicating our viewpoints
to those they teach in Europe, and elsewhere. The word communism cannot
be dissociated from the Soviet Political Regime, and great wisdom is required
to make our viewpoint clear without giving the impression we are for or
against any existing government.

(7 July 1947 to the National Spiritual
Assembly of the United States and Canada) [38]

4. Germany's Role in Eastern Europe

From Letters Written by Shoghi Effendi.

(4)

The Plan now being prosecuted with such diligence, fidelity, unity
and enthusiasm by the long-oppressed, great-hearted, indefatigable, much
admired German Bahá'í community, despite the exhaustion following
a prolonged ordeal, is entering upon its concluding phase. This first collective
enterprise, embarked upon by a community which, by virtue of its size,
its experience, its past achievements, occupies a pre-eminent position
in the European continent, and is destined, in view of its capacity, its
fortitude, its resilience and tenacity of purpose, to play an outstanding
role in both contemporary and future Bahá'í history, must,
through a concerted and supreme effort on the part of its members, be brought
to a triumphant conclusion.

Its successful termination will be but a signal for a series of enterprises,
each more glorious than the one preceding it, which will carry the fame
of this community, already tested in the crucible of afflictive trials,
and richly endowed by the tender favours of its Founder, Who blessed with
His Presence its leading centre, to regions far beyond the confines of
its homeland and as far as the Eastern fringes of the Asiatic continent.

In such a glorious venture, and in the course of so vast, so momentous
and sacred an enterprise, it will, if it discharges manfully its present
task, be seconded in its noble exertions by the concerted efforts of all
the budding communities in the European continent, and will play a notable
role, in collaboration with the trustees of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Divine
Plan labouring throughout the American continents, and with its sister
communities toiling in Africa, South-East Asia, and Australasia, in achieving
the spiritual conquest of the entire planet.

Much depends, however, on the manner in which it discharges the responsibilities
of the present hour. The administrative base from which it must spread
out into Eastern and Southern Europe, and beyond these spheres into the
heart of Northern Asia, as far as the China Sea, must first be thoroughly
consolidated. The valiant battalions that are to carry the banner of the
Faith of Bahá'u'lláh to distant climes, amidst alien races,
and throughout the length and breadth of immense territories and in inhospitable
surroundings, must, to begin with, increase in number, acquire added experience,
and deepen in their faith and understanding. The literature with which
the bearers of God's redeeming Message must be equipped when launching
out beyond the frontiers of their native land must, preparatory to their
arduous crusade, be multiplied and adapted to the mentality of those diversified
peoples and races inhabiting so vast a section of the globe.

(30 October 1951 to the National Spiritual
Assembly of Germany and Austria, published in "The Light of Divine Guidance",
pp.
178
-
79
) [39]

The total success of the Plan, now demanding the concentrated attention
of the entire German Bahá'í community, is indeed indispensable
for the adequate discharge of the still greater tasks that lie ahead of
its members, and which, in themselves, will constitute the prelude to the
unfoldment of the glorious Mission awaiting them, as soon as the present
obstacles are removed, in both Eastern Europe and the heart of the Asiatic
continent. The extent of their future undertakings in both continents;
their contribution to the Global Crusade to be launched throughout the
whole planet; their particular and, in many ways, unique reinforcement
of the work, connected with future Bahá'í research and scholarship,
in view of the characteristic qualities of painstaking thoroughness, scientific
exactitude and dispassionate criticism distinguishing the race to which
they belong -- these are too vast and complex to be assessed at the present
time.

. . .

The participation of the Bahá'í community, in both Germany
and Austria, individually as well as officially, in the forthcoming Stockholm
intercontinental Conference -- to which I trust its members will contribute
a notable share, in view of the part they are destined to play in the future
awakening of the European continent -- will, no doubt, launch them upon
the initial stage of their glorious Mission beyond the confines of their
respective countries. Theirs will be the twofold and highly challenging
task of consolidating, steadily and rapidly, the administrative foundations
of the Structure which is being painstakingly established by them in the
heart of the European continent, and of implanting the banner of the rising
Order of their Faith in the neighbouring sovereign states and dependencies
of that continent and even beyond its borders as far as the heart of Asia.

(30 May 1952 to the National Spiritual
Assembly of Germany and Austria, published in "The Light of Divine Guidance",
pp.
185
-
86
) [40]

The German and Austrian Bahá'í Communities, on whom 'Abdu'l-Bahá  lavished His
favours, for whose future He cherished such high hopes, occupying such
a central position in a continent endowed with such great potentialities,
must, by reason of their unique and predominant position, their past history,
their virility, tenacity and splendid accomplishments, assume a preponderating
role in the conduct of a Crusade in which all Bahá'í communities
dwelling on the European mainland, both young and old, are called upon
to participate to the utmost of their capacity with all the resources at
their disposal.

They stand, moreover, at this crucial hour in their destiny, on the threshold
of a new era in their history -- the era that must witness the initiation
of their mission beyond the borders of their homeland, and one which must
culminate in their carrying the banner of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh
across the eastern frontiers of Europe, and as far as the territories lying
in the heart of the Asiatic continent.

(21 June 1953 to the National Spiritual
Assembly of Germany and Austria) [41]

To their [German Bahá'ís] brethren in the Eastern Zone,
so gravely handicapped by the unfortunate disabilities which they have
so long and so patiently suffered, consistent support, in whatever way
possible, should be extended, and every avenue should be explored to ensure
that the flame burning in those valiant hearts, so heavily burdened by
cares and anxieties, will not be extinguished. The no less vital obligation
to introduce, however tentatively, the Faith in the territories lying beyond
the eastern confines of their homeland, and particularly in the Baltic
States, must be promptly and seriously considered, for upon it will, to
a very great measure, depend the success of the Mission envisaged for them
by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and now confirmed through the provisions of the
Ten Year Plan. . .

(14 August 1957 to the National Spiritual
Assembly of Germany and Austria) [42]

End Notes

1. "'
Say,
' Bahá'u'lláh
Himself declares in the Súriy-i-Ra'ís, '
this Youth hath
departed out of this country and deposited beneath every tree and every
stone a trust, which God will erelong bring forth through the power of
truth.
'" ("God Passes By" (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, 1987), p.
181
) [
Back
]

2. J. E. Esslemont, "
Bahá'u'lláh
and the New Era
", (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1987).
[
Back
]

3. Tomb of Marion Jack in Sofia, Bulgaria.
[
Back
]

4. All extracts cited in this section
are from postscripts in the handwriting of Shoghi Effendi appended to letters
written on his behalf. [
Back
]

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